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Afterimage Lyrics
Suddenly --
You were gone
From all the lives
You left your mark upon
I remember --
How we talked and drank
Into the misty dawn
We ran by the water
On the wet summer lawn
I remember --
I feel the way you would
Tried to believe
But you know it's no good
This is something
That just can't be understood
I remember --
The shouts of joy
Skiing fast through the woods
I learned your love for life
I feel the way that you would
I remember --
I feel the way you would
This just can't be understood...
You were gone
From all the lives
You left your mark upon
How we talked and drank
Into the misty dawn
On the wet summer lawn
But you know it's no good
This is something
That just can't be understood
The shouts of joy
Skiing fast through the woods
I feel the way that you would
This just can't be understood...
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This song is about the sudden loss of Robbie Whalen. He was an engineer on the Rush albums Permanent Waves, Exit Stage Left, Moving Pictures, and Signals. He was killed in a car accident outside the Rush studios in northern Ontraio in a snowstorm when leaving the studio one night.
Neil Peart wrote this song in tribute to him. Ironically the lyrics "Suddenly you were gone from all the lives you left your mark upon" were later used in art form on the 3 cd live disc Different Stages in tribute to the sudden loss of Peart's daughter Selena in a car accident 40 miles away from Whalen's accident.As well as for his wife who died 10 months later of cancer that suddenly appeared.
This is such a meaningful and powerful song to me. My father was a huge rush fan, and after he passed away in 98 (when he was nine), it changed my life forever. A few years ago i was going through some of his old stuff, when i happened to find his rush cd collection in a small zip-up cd case. the first cd i listened to was grace under pressure, the first track just blew me away, it was so different, and actually had very interesting synth use. and then Afterimage came up, Woah, such powerful lyrics! It literally brought me to tears, the first line says it all: "suddenly... you where gone, from all the lives you left your mark upon. It still bring a tear to my eye, everytime i listen. now, i am a die hard rush fan, Thanks to my father, who i miss very much.
It's interesting how Peart tries hard to stay objective........even when it comes to death. I applaud the bravery it takes to do this.
a song about the passing of a good/close friend and the memories he/she left behind..during 1995 one of my best friends was killed in a motorbike accident..we played this at his funeral......"suddenly you were gone..from all of the lives you left your mark upon"....it still brings a tear to the eye now and of course in neil`s case it can apply to both his own tragedies..."i feel the way you would"
An emotional song! Gives me goosebumps everytime i listen to this ... nothing like having it playing full blast in my earphones, whilst walking my dog on a cold winters day ..
i had no idea that was what this song was about...i liked it in the first place, but knowing that makes it an even more unbelievable song. Neil Peart writes some of the best lyrics.
@shed27 The best thing is when you already like a song just for the music and then you research what it's actually about and it makes the song like a thousand times more awesome.
@shed27 The best thing is when you already like a song just for the music and then you research what it's actually about and it makes the song like a thousand times more awesome.
very moving tribute to Robbie and to Neil's wife and daughter (R.I.P.)
its tough to listen to the song and not get a little choked up
This is my all-time favourite Rush track. Obviously not for the subject matter, but for the sound. The guitar solo for me is Alex's best, it sounds like his guitar is actually crying. Geddy's vocals do the same thing and if anyone has a copy of the "Through The Camera Eye" video, Neil's look at the end of the song. All these things are testament to the loss suffered.
Alex does such an awesome job in this song in that he really does shoot straight and expresses Neil's heartwrenching lyrics right to the point.
thats fucked up, but its a reat song. Geddy's vocal/bass playing...YES!